abstract

This article begins by introducing a method for life cycle and sustainability assessments. The methodology uses an activity based object oriented approach to define classes of elements with prescribed common properties and behaviors. This method improves upon existing models by providing a platform on which multiple perspectives of a single element can be represented. Furthermore, this approach makes elements easier to manipulate and makes it easier to modify the model while maintaining its ability to integrate with other systems to generate a more complete representation and assessment. Next, this article defines a structural framework that will be used to model a system. This framework is composed of three parts that outline how objects are classified, how they are structured in a specific case, and a model that stores the raw data needed for computations. This article hypothetical example of a manufactured part and demonstrates how the model would look. Then, the model looks at what a real part would look like when defined in terms of the model, though the real part is not fully realized in the model. The hypothetical part model demonstrates some capabilities of the object oriented approach, while steps for expanding the model to a more complex system are presented as part of future work. Finally, some existing work that has been done to turn the framework into an executable model discussed.

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